Batutta
Major Contributor
Why 20? Just Because.
Reservoir Dogs - Quentin Tarantino
Pulp Fiction made more of a splash and is probably the greater film, but QT's debut film has all the same elements -- the pop-culture laced dialogue, the dark humor, shocking moments of violence, along with a tighter, more focused narrative. Spawned a multitude of imitators, never equalled...And I don't want to hear about City on Fire.
The Matrix - Wachowski's
The Wachowski's redefined the genre with this one, creating maybe the first existential action film. Has a degree of polish not evident on their subsequent films, probably because they spent six years trying to get it made.
Glory - Kevin Jarre
A damn near flawless script by Kevin Jarre, who doesn't write nearly enough. His script for Tombstone is most of what makes that film as good as it is.
Fargo - Coen Brothers
The Coens doing what they do best, pulpy tales of greed and murder with an amusing sense of regional dialects.
The Shawshank Redemption - Frank Darabont
I think this film could have been directed by Uwe Boll and still come out alright, the script is so good. Morgan Freeman's narration is probably the best in film history.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Charlie Kaufman
Kaufman's scripts for Adaptation and Being John Malkovich are also brilliant, but sort of fell apart in the home stretch. Not this one. It's perfect, and resonates with real emotional depth.
Memento - Chris Nolan
A brilliant conceit pulled off perfectly, which ultimately goes beyond being a mere stunt to having actual thematic depth. Some say the end doesn't satisfy, but I say that's the point. Revenge can never truly be satisfied. You'll just transfer that hate to another face, just as the protagonist in Memento won't remember if he murders his wife's killer.
Heat - Michael Mann
Not even Mann's best script, that would be Thief, which is more focused, but nobody does these LA crime thrillers better. The scene with DeNiro and Pacino in the diner is a model of subtext and economy of dialogue. If it has one sin it's that it tries to cover one too many characters.
L.A. Confidential - Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson
Curtis Hanson's moment of genius. The rest of his filmography is utterly disposable. Helgeland only seems to do good work when adapting books for other directors (Mystic River). Otherwise we get The Order and A Knight's Tale.
Bullets Over Broadway - Woody Allen
Woody's last great film, although Sweet and Lowdown was good too. The dialogue is cracklingly funny. Has one of my favorite lines ever, "I could love a man if he wasn't a real artist, but I couldn't love an artist if he wasn't a real man."
Die Hard - Jeb Stuart and Steven DeSouza
This one squeaks in under the wire as it was released in 88. The perfect modern action film. This movie is like a nuanced character drama compared to the typical Bay-Bruckheimer splodofests we get these days. The villain is complex and believable. The hero, a real, vulnerable human. All which can be credited to the writers.
Schindler's List - Steven Zallian
A brilliant adaptation by one of the best adapters around. The only thing that gave me pause in putting it on the list was the "A League of Their Own" style ending, but I'm guessing that was Spielberg's dumb idea.
Reservoir Dogs - Quentin Tarantino
Pulp Fiction made more of a splash and is probably the greater film, but QT's debut film has all the same elements -- the pop-culture laced dialogue, the dark humor, shocking moments of violence, along with a tighter, more focused narrative. Spawned a multitude of imitators, never equalled...And I don't want to hear about City on Fire.
The Matrix - Wachowski's
The Wachowski's redefined the genre with this one, creating maybe the first existential action film. Has a degree of polish not evident on their subsequent films, probably because they spent six years trying to get it made.
Glory - Kevin Jarre
A damn near flawless script by Kevin Jarre, who doesn't write nearly enough. His script for Tombstone is most of what makes that film as good as it is.
Fargo - Coen Brothers
The Coens doing what they do best, pulpy tales of greed and murder with an amusing sense of regional dialects.
The Shawshank Redemption - Frank Darabont
I think this film could have been directed by Uwe Boll and still come out alright, the script is so good. Morgan Freeman's narration is probably the best in film history.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Charlie Kaufman
Kaufman's scripts for Adaptation and Being John Malkovich are also brilliant, but sort of fell apart in the home stretch. Not this one. It's perfect, and resonates with real emotional depth.
Memento - Chris Nolan
A brilliant conceit pulled off perfectly, which ultimately goes beyond being a mere stunt to having actual thematic depth. Some say the end doesn't satisfy, but I say that's the point. Revenge can never truly be satisfied. You'll just transfer that hate to another face, just as the protagonist in Memento won't remember if he murders his wife's killer.
Heat - Michael Mann
Not even Mann's best script, that would be Thief, which is more focused, but nobody does these LA crime thrillers better. The scene with DeNiro and Pacino in the diner is a model of subtext and economy of dialogue. If it has one sin it's that it tries to cover one too many characters.
L.A. Confidential - Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson
Curtis Hanson's moment of genius. The rest of his filmography is utterly disposable. Helgeland only seems to do good work when adapting books for other directors (Mystic River). Otherwise we get The Order and A Knight's Tale.
Bullets Over Broadway - Woody Allen
Woody's last great film, although Sweet and Lowdown was good too. The dialogue is cracklingly funny. Has one of my favorite lines ever, "I could love a man if he wasn't a real artist, but I couldn't love an artist if he wasn't a real man."
Die Hard - Jeb Stuart and Steven DeSouza
This one squeaks in under the wire as it was released in 88. The perfect modern action film. This movie is like a nuanced character drama compared to the typical Bay-Bruckheimer splodofests we get these days. The villain is complex and believable. The hero, a real, vulnerable human. All which can be credited to the writers.
Schindler's List - Steven Zallian
A brilliant adaptation by one of the best adapters around. The only thing that gave me pause in putting it on the list was the "A League of Their Own" style ending, but I'm guessing that was Spielberg's dumb idea.
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